Southern Italy III: Naples

Naples is an interesting place... when they say it's gritty, they ain't kiddin'. In the words of Dr. Dawson "It's like Italy's New York." In the words of me: "Its more like Italy's Detroit..."

Yes, it is the birthplace of pizza. Yes, it was really popular in ancient times. Yes, there are a lot of Italian Americans with families from Naples. To the last point, I say this, if Naples were that great, you would be Italian, not American. Think about it.

There were a few times that I was completely sketched out... thank goodness for some of the guys in the program being really great and helping us poor females out.

The pizza was great. The company was great. The setting, not so much.

I probably wouldn't go back to Naples... ever. But it was an experience.

I didn't bring my camera off of the bus for fear of it being stolen... but here's a picture of me and Christine being cute to make you feel better.

Southern Italy II: Capri Sun

Morning view of the bay.

On Saturday, we had a free day to do whatever we wanted. So, we decided to make our way to the most beautiful island, Capri. It was a day full of sun, sand, and the bluest water I've ever seen.

We took a ferry to the port and immediately boarded a boat for a tour of the island as well as a trip into the famous Grotta Azzurra, The Blue Grotto.

 To get into the Blue Grotto, you transfer to little row boats and make your way into the smallest hole ever, seriously. The guy in charge of the boat tells you all to lay down and pulls the boat in from a chain on the wall of the cave. There was a swell on our way inside which lead to the man pressing himself onto the person on top... me. It's ok, he was cute. It was all worth it when we got inside and saw the most amazing sight. The grotto literally glowed blue. It was so beautiful! The men rowing the countless tiny boats on the inside started singing to us and we made our way out the same way we came in. what an adventure.

We got back on the bigger boat and started to make our way around the island. The hills, caves, lighthouses, and huge villas were all so pretty. It was paradise.

After our boat ride, we got some lunch, changed into our bathing suits and made our way to the free beach for some sun and sand! We climbed the jetty and found some flat spots to sunbathe and listen to Zac Brown Band, of course! The water was so absolutely freezing, but at least I can say I swam in the Bay of Naples, right?

After the beach, we got changed and headed back to Sorrento on the ferry. After the ferry we got a little lost on the way back to the hotel and walked up the side of a mountain... literally. Why is Italy so hilly/ volcanic? oi. We freshened up and put on our cute summer dresses (complete with authentic sunburn) for dinner and a show.

After that, we headed out for some gelato and went back to the hotel to relax and watch a movie.

Bliss.

Southern Italy I: Pompeii

This weekend was SO great! The entire program headed to the Bay of Naples together for one of the best trips of the semester. First stop: Pompeii.

Pompeii was so cool. We had an onsite lecture by one of the history professors and say so many things. It sounds silly... but I didn't realize how big Pompeii was. It's an ancient city, with streets, alleyways, and houses. The forums, temples, markets, and theaters are all such amazing sights.

I had been to the exhibit in NYC last summer, so I had seen the casts of bodies, so they weren't as shocking, but I didn't realize that there were still bones in those casts! It made it that much more real.

Because Pompeii is still an active excavation, they have shelves of things they've found... including bodies. That was pretty shocking, seeing terracotta pots next to the cast of a person.

It was really cool to see normal everyday things, like fast food counters and crosswalks.

food counter

Its amazing to think that only 1/3 of the city has been excavated and we spent the better part of 4 hours walking around the different buildings and streets. Another funny thing about Pompeii is that it was thought to be really wealthy, but the building materials are really cheap, like tufa and brick, not as much marble as we see in Rome, even on the temple of Jupiter in the middle of the city.

I had a great time in Pompeii, it was really eye opening to see such a hugely popular place, a place of such destruction, but also a place that has taught us so much about daily life in a Roman city.

After Pompeii, we hopped onto the bus and made it around the twisty roads to Sorrento to get to our hotel. Mary, Christine, and I were so happy to see the view from our BALCONY!